The Struggle of a Family Working 120 Hours a Week

When you work from home, the job never seems to end. As soon as you finish with a client, you have to prepare meals, clean house, etc. It is also easy to keep working when you have a business that you conduct from home. I often work as long as 120 hours a week and find that I am constantly behind, sometimes with clients, other times with house work or family events. When I work so much, I have to be able to find a balance between life and work so I do not feel so overwhelmed, but that is not easy to do.

Finding a Stopping Point
Because I work from home, I have to force myself to find a stopping point. In my area of work, I could literally keep going, but will only become tired and stressed if I do. I try to set a goal each day, sometimes stopping with work around 5 pm or even earlier, around 2 pm, if I have the ability. This way, I can focus on my family and not worry about what is going on with work.

Help from the Family
It is important when you work from home to have help from family. Housework has to be done whether you work from home or at an office. I like to schedule chores with my kids and husband so I do not feel like I have to continue with house work after a long day of working in my career field. Our chore chart consists of easy ways that the family can help out from picking up dirty clothes to washing dishes. Any help I can get will help me to have more time to spend with my family instead of worrying about cleaning the house.

Taking Breaks
Because I work from home, the computer screen can make me sleepy on certain days or I can begin to get a headache if I have worked for hours on end. I like to take small breaks every hour to two hours to break up my screen time. When I take a break, I will get something else done, helping to stretch my body as I move about. Sitting at the laptop can make my legs or back hurt so moving around also helps me loosen my muscles.
I have found that I can get a lot done around the house with these little breaks as well.

During one break I might load the dishwasher and start a load of dishes to clean or I might start a load of laundry. I have cleaned the bathroom during a break or simply picked up around the house. No one likes to clean, especially since we think the tasks take too much time. But I have found if you actually time the chores it takes just a few minutes to complete small tasks. This way, I am taking a break from work but getting housework done, saving time in the evenings when my children get home.

Remember to Take Family Time
I have to remind myself often to take family time. Since I work from home, I often will work on the weekends. This takes away time from my family. I try to cut back on my weekend time so that we can go to the park or out to dinner, just enjoying time together. It is a constant struggle to put away my laptop or mobile phone, avoiding checking my email, but it is important to let work rest for a while and take time to simply spend with my family.